Reviews

Celebrating its first anniversary this month, Tandoori Times proprietor Sunny Chopra
steered clear of "greasy curries and dry tandoori chicken" at his Old Town Scottsdale
eatery. Many of the 200 daily patrons on average swear by the fresh-from-the-clay-oven
naans and succulent kebabs.........

Valley diners have more options for Indian fare than most European cuisines, so
this is a tighter race to judge than some of the other categories. And though we've
rarely met an Indian spot we didn't like, Scottsdale's Tandoori Times garners the
glory on taste alone.

With the possible exception of China, no national cuisine has more depth, breadth
and variety than India's. But you won't see any of those qualities on display at
new Tandoori Times in Scottsdale. That's by design. The idea here is to offer a
limited menu: lamb, chicken and seafood cooked in the tandoor, a scorchingly hot
clay oven, along with a handful of curries, vegetarian dishes and biriyanis.........

Old Town Scottsdale has a new taste of Indian cuisine via an unlikely source, San
Francisco. Tandoori Times Indian Bistro has just opened at Fifth Avenue and Indian
School Road under the direction of owner Sunny Chopra. He's a Bay Area transplant
and brought his chefs from the Golden Gate city as well...........

As the name implies, Tandoori Times specializes in all manner of comestibles prepared
in one of its two traditional tandoori clay ovens, those fiery pot-like kilns used
in India since the time of the Mogul emperors. Meat, fish, fowl and veggies are
roasted on skewers lowered into the tandoors after being marinated in a mix of spices
and yogurt. And Indian flatbread, or naan, is baked by slapping the dough onto the
ovens' circular walls. What results is a unique intensity of flavor unparalleled
in Occidental cooking.............

I opted to check out the new Eastern Indian restaurant, Tandoori Times, in Scottsdale.
Don't be fooled by the exterior. The interior is spacious, warm, and inviting. Patrons
can sit comfortably inside at a booth or a table or enjoy the afternoon sun on their
sizable patio. If you aren't satisfi ed with your company's conversation, you can
take a breather and look at the authentic garments and jewelry offered near the
door. An added bonus to this dining setup is that patrons can observe the chef at
work, knowing that he is devoting time and care to each dish prepared..........